Knock-down container



Aug. 9, 1938..

L. D. PIERCE KNOCK-DOWN CONTAINER Filed Feb. 25, 1937 INVENTOR. ga /0M MW ATTORNEYS,

Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to containers formed of fibrous material, such as paper or paper-board, and being of the. type wherethe barrel or body of the container is collapsed or contracted during 5 shipment, whereby the barrels or bodies are shipped in flat folded condition, or are nested one within the other, and which barrels are sub sequently expanded into tubular form and suitable end closures attached preparatory to plac- 10 ing the contents in the container.

An object of the invention is a container of the type described embodying a construction by which the barrel of the container is collapsible or foldable into fiat condition, and which is pro- 15 vided at one end with a metallic end closure supporting ring member permanently secured to the barrel, and which is foldable'with the barrel.

Another object of the invention is a container, or container barrel, of the type described of such 20 construction that one end of the barrel, preferably the top end, is maintained in tubular or circular form by a rigid retaining member, and the opposite or lower end of the barrel is contractible to permit nesting of the barrels during shipment.

Another object of the invention is such a contalner embodying a construction by which a metallic ring member is secured to the contractible end of the container barrel, and is flexible and foldable during the contraction and expansion of 30 the barrel, and which ring member provides a convenient means of securing the end closure to the barrel after the same has been expanded into tubular form.

A further object of the invention is a container 35 of the type referred to embodying a construction bywhich the container barrel may be most conveniently handled, expanded into tubular form and the bottom closure inserted therein without the use of any special tools or machines and with- 40 in a minimum consumption of time,-and at the same time provide a container of this type which is exceptionally durable and satisfactory in use.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions herea5 inafter set forth and claimed.

In describingthis invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which like character's"designate corresponding parts in all the views.

" Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the container with the left hand portion shown in cross section.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the container barrel in collapsed or contracted condition. 55 v Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detail view comprising a section taken through the lower edge of the container.

Containers of this type are now used extensively to package ice-cream in bulk. These containers, or the various parts of the same, are 5 manufactured at the container plant and shipped to the user in knock-down condition. The object of using the paper container is to avoid the necessity of having to collect the emptied containers and wash and sterilize the same before being refilled. Also, the storage of empty metallic containers in small retail establishments, such as corner drug stores and cigar stores, presents an appreciable problem in the consumption of space and particularly in warm weather when the ice-cream remaining in the emptied containers becomes sour and rancid. The paper containers are easily and readily disposed of when empty. However, the advantages gained by use of paper containers are lost unless these containers can be shipped to the ice-cream manufacturer or user in knock-down condition. The reasons obviously are the great bulk of completed cans not only during shipment, but during storage in the ice-cream manufacturing plant.

Inasmuch as these containers must be shipped in knock-down condition, the problem of assembling the separate parts is presented, and here again it is essential that these parts be assembled rapidly by unskilled labor, and preferably without the use of expensive special tools or machines. Numerous constructions for collapsible containers of this type have been developed. However, these are not particularly satisfactory, due to the consumption of an appreciable amount 5 of time in assembling the containers and/or the instability of the containers after they have been assembled.

The barrel or body of the container of my invention may be of the type which is collapsible or foldablc into fiat condition, such as shown in Patent No. 2,033,888 to L. E. La Bombard, March 10, 1936. However, for reasons which I will hereinafter point out, I prefer that type of body or barrel shown in my Patent No. 2,023,182, Decemher 3, 1935.

The barrel or body III of this container is similar in construction to that shown in my Patent No. 2,023,182, issued December 3, 1935. This barrel is provided with a plurality of spaced apart score lines II which extend from one end, or a point adjacent one end of the container barrel, to the opposite end thereof and converge outwardly to define panels l2. Preferably, the container barrel is further provided with one or crimped thereto.

more axially extending scores l3 defining a central panel M. The panels i2, I l are foldable on the score lines II i3, and inasmuch as the panels l2 are triangular in form the end of the barrel adjacent the wider end portions of the panels I2 is contracted when the panels are folded inwardly, as illustrated in Figure 2. This changes the barrel i0 from cylindrical to tapered form and permits one barrel to be nested within another during shipment. It will be understood that the barrel I0 is of one piece tubular formation, and is preferably formed of paper or paperboard arranged in one or more layers.

A metallic ring member I5 is secured to one end of the barrel above described, preferably the upper or top end, and is formed with a bead i5 overlapping the edge of thebarrel and being This ring member l5 acts in the nature of a retaining member and maintains the adjacent end of the barrel in tubular or circular form.

A second ring member 20 is secured to the opposite or preferably lower end of the barrel ill and is of right angular cross sectional construction being formed with an outer upstanding flange 2| encircling the lower end of the barrel l0, and an inwardly extending flange 22 which acts as a support for a bottom closure or disk 22. The ring 20 is secured to the end of the barrel III in any suitable manner as by adhesive 24, or by rivets 25, or both adhesive and rivets. The inwardly extending flange 22 of the ring member 20 is formed with radially extending slits 26 substantially in register with the ends of the score lines II, It. The outer upstanding flange 2| is continuous and encircles the lower end of the barrel I 0. Because of the slits 26, the ring member or the portions 21 thereof are readily foldable inwardly and outwardly with the panels I 2, ll, during contraction and expansion of the end of the barrel l0.

At the plant of the user, the barrels iii are individually removed from the stack formation and the bottom disk 23 inserted through the upper end of the container and pressed down- -wardiy until seated on the flange 22 of the ring member 20. The disk 23 is preferably slightly greater in. diameter than the internal diameter of the container barrel, so that the periphery of the disk 23 tightly engages the lower end of the barreland presses the same outwardly against the ring member 2| and which conflnes such outward movement, all whereby the disk 23 constitutes a liquid tight bottom closure for the container. After the contents has been placed in the container, a suitable lid or cover is snapped over the bead IS on the upper ring member ii.

In practical use, I have found this container to poses a number of advantatges over similar containers now in use. These advantages are first, the container barrels III are most convenient to handle at the user's plant, due to the fact that one end of the same is maintained in a operator while he, or she, is removing the container barrel from the stack formation and with the other hand the bottom disk 23 is inserted through the top of the container and pressed downwardly against the flange 22 of the lower ring member. Obviously, these operations are performed very quickly and without the use of any tools or machines whatever, and the bottom closure is not only liquid tight, but is secured to the container barrel in such manner that it is necessary to destroy the container barrel before the bottom closure can be forced out through the bottom of the barrel. The ring member 20 is of conventional construction and may be formed as a continuous ring, or as a split ring with the ends overlapped and secured together to form a onepiece ring.

If the container barrel is of the type foldable into flat condition, the upper retaining ring I 5 is not used, and the lower bottom supporting ring 20 is provided with slits in the flange 2| to permit folding of the ring with the body. In either case, the flange 2| of the ring member 20 forms a continuous reinforcing metallic band encircling the lower end of the container, and the inwardly extending flange 22 provides a rigid support for the bottom disk 23. It will be observed that the operation of securing the lower ring member 20 to thecontainer barrel is performed at the container manufacturing plant, thus eliminating one of the most troublesome operations now, performed at the plant of the user in assembling containers of this kind now in use.

What I claim is:

1. A container comprising a barrel formed of fibrous material and being provided adjacent the bottom end with infolding portions to permit said bottom end of the container barrel to be contracted to form a tapered barrel, a rigid metallic ring member secured to the upper end of the barrel to maintain the same in circular form, a second metallic ring member secured to the bottom of the barrel and being formed with an inwardly extending bottom supporting flange, said lower ring member having portions infoldable with the infolding portions of the barrel, and a bottom disk arranged in the container and supported by the flange of said lower ring.

2. A container barrel formed of fibrous material and provided with-infoldable portions adjacent one end thereof to permit said end to be temporarily contracted to form a tapered barrel, and a metallic ring member formed with an end closure supporting flange secured to said contractible end of the barrel and having portions infoldable with said infoldable portions of the barrel.

3. A container barrel formed of fibrous material, a rigid metallic ring member secured at one end of the barrel to maintain the same in tubular form, and a second metallic ring member secured to the opposite end of said barrel, said last mentioned ring member and the adjacent end of said barrel being formed with infoldable portions to permit said end to be temporarily contracted.

4. A container barrel formed of fibrous material and provided with infoldable portions adjacent one end thereof to permit said end to be temporarily contracted to form a tapered barrel, a metallic ring member secured to said contractible end of the barrel and being formed with an inwardly extending bottom supporting flange, the portions of said ring adjacent said infolding portions of the barrel being flexible and infoldable together with said portions.

5. A container barrel provided with spaced apart, score lines extending downwardly from a point adjacent the upper end'to the lower end defining infolding panels to permit contraction of the lower end of the barrel, whereby one barrel may be nested in another, a rigid non-collapsible ring secured to the upper end of the barrel and a one piece ring secured to the lower end of the barrel, said lower ring having an inwardly extending bottom supporting flange, the portions of said lower ring adjacent said infolding portions being flexible and infoldable with said portions.

6. A tubular container barrel having a longitudinally extending infolding portion of maximum width at one end of the barrel, and of minimum width at the other end thereof, whereby the barrel can be contracted to tapered form for nesting one within the other and subsequently expanded to operative form in combination with a metallic bottom supporting ring member permanently secured to the end of the barrel ad- 8. A tubular container barrel having a longitudinally extending infolding portion of maximum width at one end of the barrel, and of minimum width at the other end thereof, whereby the barrel can be contracted to tapered form for nesting one within the other during shipment and subsequently expanded to operative form, in combination with a metallic bottom supporting ring member glued to the end of the barrel adjacent the wide end of the infolding portion, said ring member being formed with an inwardly extending flange provided with radially extending slits arranged adjacent said infolding portion of the barrel.

9. A tubular container barrel having a longitudinally extending infolding portion of maxi mum width at one end of the barrel, and of mini mum width at the other end thereof, whereby the barrel can be contracted to tapered form for nesting one within the other during shipment, and subsequently expanded to operative form, in combination with a metallic bottom supporting ring member secured to the end of the barrel adjacent the wide end of the infolding portion by adhesive, and being secured to said infolding portion by rivets, said member being formed with an inwardly extending flange provided with radially extending slits adjacent said infolding portion of the barrel to permit the portions of said ring member contiguous with said infolding portions of the barrel to be infolded with said portion.

LEED. PIERCE. 

